Thursday, November 7, 2013

Giraffes in Religion and Mythology

Seen by most as a captivating, beautiful
species, the giraffe has been a character in many myths and legends throughout
time. Scholars of the past have been at a loss of words to describe their
fascinating characteristics such as their long necks and limbs. Many myths
deemed the now known giraffe as rather a camelopard, half camel and half
leopard due to its features.

There
are many myths as to how giraffes obtained their long magnificent necks. An
example of such a myth is

Tim Gets
His Head Stuck in a Tree:

“Alvin stole
Tim's ball and threw it up in a tree. The other giraffes climbed on top of each
other to try and reach it. Tim was the highest and they all fell, but his head
became stuck high in the tree. The other giraffes pulled on his legs and he
finally came down, but not after his neck had been permanently stretched. The
long neck turned out to have advantages. When other giraffes saw that he could
eat tree leaves without jumping, they went to the same tree and had their necks
stretched too.”

Another myth is one that not only incorporates how giraffes got
their long necks, but also how they obtained their name.

Boulder on the Neck:

“Hades and Boulder threw a rock on the head of an animal that
resembled a leopard, says Nick's Myth Page. Zeus had a strong man remove the
rock from the animal, but not before it had stretched out its neck to twice its
normal length trying to free itself. Zeus asked the animal its name, and it
replied "Gerald Raffe."